238 Minutes Lost
by TheSongbird341
Summary: She'd only been giving him a lift; he'd only accepted. They hadn't expected to find themselves lost in the depths of Hero's Duty, the threat of Cy-bugs and being unplugged looming overhead. But with 238 minutes to the arcade's opening, the two have to pull together and find their way back home before the worst imaginable becomes reality...
1. Chapter 1

**238 Minutes Lost**

• **Chapter I •**

* * *

_She'd only been giving him a lift; he'd only accepted. They hadn't expected to find themselves lost in the depths of Hero's Duty, the threat of Cy-bugs and being unplugged looming overhead. But with 238 minutes to the arcade's opening, the two have to pull together and find their way back home before the worst imaginable becomes reality..._

* * *

There she was.

He could see her now, looking beautiful and tall as ever, dark soldier uniform such a sharp contrast to the bursting colors and zany patterns that made up Sugar Rush, her gorgeous eyes wide. She stood with a posture indecisively shifting between uncomfortably tall and a shrinking shrug, as if confused by the shortness of the game's inhabitants and wondering if she'd be better off standing proud and tall or kneeling to face-level. Either she decided on the latter or she needed a better look at the situation before her, for in an instant she was on her knees, evaluating the only-slightly damaged escape pod she'd left behind days before. Her gloved hands wandered around the outside of the vehicle, fingers trailing lines on the few visible cracks and dents. He watched her work, along with some other racers, including their new president, Vanellope Von Schweetz, donning her old outfit rather than the dress she'd received upon recognition of her status once again. He needed to ask the sergeant a question, but he didn't want to be an intrusion. Maybe he should wait...

Of course, Sergeant Calhoun wasn't unaware of the short man eyeing her nervously. Being a soldier, it was in her programming to detect eyes on her; the natural feeling of an extra presence was instinctive. Her trained ears could easily pick up on the small footsteps he'd taken (though it had taken time to distinguish them from any of the natives'; everyone was so short here!). It was fairly obvious that someone new was among them.

... although the sound of his jumping wasn't a terribly difficult clue.

But exactly why he was there was a more interesting question. He had no business in Sugar Rush at four hours to opening, as far as she could tell (not that she'd paid attention to him at all). She couldn't help but hope that she was his business. A strange thing to think, indeed, but it would have been disappointing if he didn't notice her, and Calhoun didn't like being disappointed. If he forced her to come to him to have a conversation, she wasn't sure she'd turn it down.

Well, she would have to, she decided. She had exactly 238 minutes to return this escape pod to Hero's Duty and get the rest her body required before the arcade opened. It was strange, but sleep seemed like such an unnecessary thing to the other characters. To the fighters in Hero's Duty, however, it was second nature to need sleep. Everyone else — Ralph, Fix-It, Vanellope — they had no taste for rest unless emotionally tired.

She snickered. Maybe Fix-It's job was easy, tapping windows with hammers and such, but she had Cy-bugs to kill, and that wore on a person. She was already getting tired, so even if Felix didn't approach her, she would be out of there in the least amount of time the task at hand allowed.

Felix could sense that the woman was in a hurry, as her movement instantly quickened. She rose to her feet, making Felix's eight-bit heart jump in his throat. If he didn't say something soon, she'd be out of there quicker than Mario in his pipe. He had to man-up and talk to her...

But his feet didn't seem to agree. Without much say in the matter, he found himself walking away, fear driving him further.

Calhoun's shoulders slumped at the sound of footsteps growing distant; she knew they were Felix's. So he really wasn't there to see her. _Shame,_ she said inwardly. _I was really looking forward to shrugging him off. _

And by "shrugging him off" she meant saying something to make him blush, or get the "honeydews" or whatever he called them, then walking away with a smile on her face. She liked the reassurance that he still admired her, but was tentative in pursuing the little man. The kiss they'd shared was a whim; it was gone. But mysteriously, the feelings remained...

So she was sad to see, or hear, him leave. Nevertheless, work was to be done and she had no business in dilly-dallying either.

Her dissatisfaction at Felix's departure was apparent for a short time, then soon dissolved into seriousness. But Vanellope, watching the situation from a distance, had picked up on it and associated it with the handyman that was almost out of hearing range. She frowned, wanting to help the situation. She'd seen sparks fly between the two only days before; she couldn't shake the memory, even as they rejected each other before her eyes. There was something about the pair together, something special, something _right. _ She knew what she saw, even if they didn't. Consequently, she took it upon herself to initiate further sparks. This meant she could under _no_ circumstances let Felix leave.

"Hey, Felix!"

Felix turned around, hearing his name. He'd half-hoped that Calhoun was the source of the voice, but the raspy high-pitched words obviously belonged to Vanellope. He smiled and waved at her, but that evidently wasn't enough.

"Come over here, crazy! I don't bite!" she laughed. He came closer. _One down, one to go._ She now needed the sergeant to notice him, so she added, "Or make 'duty'!"

Calhoun overheard this and turned around, just as planned. _Wait for it... _

"Look, mousy, I already told you. It's not _that_ kind of-"

But she stopped short at the sight of Felix nearly seven feet to her right, looking up at her. Something flashed in her eyes: a fond recognition. Vanellope could tell her work here was nearly done.

"Fix-It," she stated matter-of-factly, as though he didn't know his own name. "I didn't know you were here," she lied.

He smiled nervously. "I didn't, either." He paused for a second. "Uh, I mean, I knew I was here, of course! I just didn't know you were here..." he stuttered, looking down at his shoes. "Ma'am," he finished.

She raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't respond immediately, instead wondering what she would say in rebuttal to such an odd and endearing sentence. Eventually she settled for a straight-to-the-point question. "What's got you in Sugar Rush?"

He looked up at her again. "Oh! I, um, was just stopping by — in the neighborhood — and saw you were here... and remembered I had a question for you."

She eyed him carefully. "Is it important?"

He hesitated to answer. "Well, no — not really important, but I would like to ask, if I may, ma'am."

She was intrigued by his question, but knew she had work to be done, and used a simple out; an exit-strategy that never failed. Gesturing to the escape-pod, she began. "Then it'll have to wait. I've got to return this vehicle to my game; it's a little beat-up, so it could be a challenge."

Felix's eyes lit up. "Well, ma'am, if you'd like," he started, pulling out his hammer. "I can fix it."

She raised her eyebrows. "Be my guest." Stepping aside, she let him approach the machine and, with a simple tap, all remnants of damage were gone. It wasn't incorrect to say that she was thoroughly impressed.

"There she is! Good as new!" he cheered, twirling his hammer in his hand. He looked up at the momentarily-silent blonde and grinned. "Hopefully now I'll be able to-"

But she hadn't been listening, instead stepping into the pod and inspecting its repair. "Wow, Fix-It," she gazed. "You've done a great job."

He smiled. "Well, the ol' hammer's an incredible little thing."

She turned to face him, eyes taking a new shine into them. "You're incredible."

_Woops._ She hadn't meant to say that out loud. She hadn't even meant to think that!

His cheeks turned a deep red at her statement, astounded that she'd said it. "Well, ma'am..."

Embarrassed, she looked back into the vehicle and feigned a smile. "This should be a lot easier to return now. Thank you, Felix."

He nodded. "Glad I could help." With that, he turned to walk away. But Vanellope noticed and ran up to the pod.

"Hey, Sergeant Blondy," she whispered to the woman quietly. "Why don't you invite Felix for a ride?"

Her eyes widened, and she looked down at the girl. "What makes you think that I'd-"

"FEEEE-LIX!"

"No, quiet! He'll-"

The shorter of the two ignored her and called him back over. "The sergeant said she wants you to come with her."

Felix's eyebrows lifted. The sergeant wanted him to ride with her?

Calhoun looked up at him like a deer caught in headlights. "I-" she began, as if to change her mind. Felix's face fell, and he waited for it. She'd be sending him home afoot in no time...

She frowned at his expression, feeling guilty for turning him away. With a softer tone, she asked, "Would you like a ride?"

His head snapped up at her question, mouth open. She really did want his company! His heart fluttered at the news. Maybe she didn't forget about him after all.

With a bashful grin, he nodded. "I'd love one."

* * *

_**So? Should I continue? Not like I haven't already. I've written four more chapters so far, and I'm really pleased with it. I hope you guys are, too!**_

_**My goal for this story is to go deeper into the characters and answer some of the burning questions that linger in my mind – what were they thinking immediately after the movie's span? How accepting was Calhoun of Felix? How did things progress from mere attraction to marriage? Reading how others answer these questions has been interesting, as some think it was a quick transition, but others go so far as to rehash the kiss and start all over again. I personally disliked the instant warmth that most portray Calhoun to give off, when in reality I picture her more closed off, hesitant due to the nonexistent past that haunts her memories. I want to capture their characters in a different light, one more slow and cautious. I can't wait to see what everyone thinks.**_

_**Well? Don't just sit there! Give that review button a high-five and tell me what's on your mind!**_

_*** *-TheSongbird341-* ***_

* * *

_DISCLAIMER: Guess what? I don't own Wreck-It Ralph. There would have been many more Felix/Calhoun moments if I did.  
_


	2. Chapter 2

**238 Minutes Lost**

* * *

• **Chapter II •**

* * *

_6:02 A.M. – 238 minutes until the Arcade opens._

* * *

After boarding the vehicle, Felix avoided eye contact with the sergeant as he was wary not to scare her away (funny; he was the one expected to be frightened) from the ground they'd gained already by simply agreeing to the company they both desperately wanted. As he sat next to her, his first instinct was to, in awe of the situation and what she'd said earlier, gawk at her (admiringly, of course) but, deciding that this tactic probably wasn't the most adult option in his arsenal, he refrained from watching her and stifled honeyglows that threatened to surface at the mere close proximity they shared. His resolve was instead to look at his hands and contemplate his next words. But what were they? He considered that for a moment.

And another moment...

And then a few more...

And even as he wracked his brain as fervently as he could, no words became of him. What was wrong with him? Was he glitching? He glanced down at his hands and legs, which were completely glitch-free. _Nope._

Then what was it? Being the hero he was considered as by the Nicelanders, he was accustomed to having easy phrases like "I can fix it!" at his disposal with limitless usage supplied, and everyone would laugh and pat his shoulder like he'd said the funniest thing in the world; he'd never truly been at a loss for words. But now, alone with a Dynamite Gal like Calhoun, where conversation or lack thereof would be a deciding factor in the outcome of this trip, words failed him! What was it about her that made him lose his wits like that?

Maybe it was her smile, haunting his memory since the day he'd seen it, after _heroically_ rescuing her from the Nesquick-sand and landing her back on her feet, safe and sound; so fleeting but so, so _stunning_. Maybe it was the way her big blue eyes twinkled whenever someone beat a high score in Hero's Duty, which he'd look for through the screen between quarters; sometimes she even caught his gaze and sent him blushing, receiving questioning looks from the Nicelanders and Ralph (he still couldn't decide if Ralph fit into the "Nicelander" category, thought he took extra care defining his character after the "incident"). Maybe it was just her presence — her proud stance and loud orders, every pet name she tossed out, but the quiet moments only he'd caught, too. Maybe it was everything about her. Maybe it was just _her_.

"You're being awfully quiet," she stated, snapped him out of his thoughts. He'd been very quiet for a considerable amount of time (he was _Felix, _after all) and she took notice. Whatever he'd been thinking about, it had to be troubling, if she could draw a safe conclusion from his facial expressions. She didn't like seeing him so tense; it made her tense. So she interrupted the uncomfortable silence in hopes of tearing him from whatever stressed him. But only because it stressed her, of course...

Not because she cared.

Because she didn't.

He still didn't reply, oddly enough. Usually when she spoke to him, he worked himself into a frenzy until sputtering out a meek response. Biting her lip, she tried again. "What's the matter? Cy-bug got your tongue?"

A mental image flashed in her mind and she cringed. _Bad joke. _

He didn't seem offended, however. He even let out a small chuckle before responding, "If a Cy-bug had my tongue, I reckon I'd be making much more sound."

More images clouded behind her eyelids, except this time, sound effects were added (a holy thanks to Felix for that!). Her teeth clenched around her lower lip. It was time for a new topic.

"How are things going with the Nicelanders?" she asked, a hint of something – Felix couldn't place it – behind her voice.

He fixed his hat as he spoke. "Things are... better." He glanced out the window at the candy cane trees speeding by and sighed. "Nobody is really sure how to act around Ralph; some are overbearing, some are too cautious. I can tell it's getting on his nerves, but hopefully it will wear off. I just feel guilty, is all..."

She was surprised at how open he was with her, as no one had been so personal around her, nor had she around anyone else. Unsure how to respond but feeling as if she owed him something back, she turned her mind to the last sentence and worked from there. "Because of how you treated him?"

Felix nodded. "I was so rude to him! I hadn't even invited him to the 30th anniversary party!"

"Fix-It, it's not in your programming to think about Ralph," she argued without having to think about it. "He's a _villain. _It's your job to fight him, not to be his best pal!" Although it had come out harsher than she'd intended, she though she'd gotten her point across nicely.

"I know," he agreed. "but that doesn't mean we can't be _different _from our programming outside of the game."

They entered a dark tunnel briefly, which she took advantage of and looked at Felix. "But that's all you knew." Taking care to soften her voice, she continued. "Before this whole mess, all I knew was to kill Cy-bugs because that was my programming. I didn't have any frie-" _No. Try again. _"acquaintances." _Better._

Now he ventured to look up at her. "But now?" Their gazes locked.

"P-people-" _Oh, great! I'm stuttering now? _"People change. You changed; Ralph will respect that. And it only took thirty years."

And then he laughed. He actually laughed at what she'd said.

She didn't know if she should be offended or happy to hear him laugh. She couldn't recall having anyone laugh at her jokes, and she wasn't even certain that _was_ a joke. Her conflicting mind was caught between knocking his head around a few times and laughing with him.

His laughter died down as they exited the tunnel and he caught a glimpse of her startled expression. Maybe he shouldn't have laughed. Maybe she wasn't joking and now she was offended. _I should've been more sensitive._

And then shelaughed, too. Shortly, and not as loudly, but she laughed. He didn't recognize the sound, not from _her_ lips. But he took it in, tried to memorize it, because as soon as he heard it he knew it was beautiful. But too soon, it disappeared, as did all remnants of the conversation, for they'd both realized that they were in Game Central Station and the fun was over.

He swallowed. "I guess I'm getting off now, huh?"

Her eyes narrowed/ "I suppose so..." His eyes fell. "Why? Did you need a lift?"

He looked up, eyes slightly hopeful. "Actually... well, you see..." _Think, Felix! Think! _

"Do you think I have all day to wait for this sentence to end?" she barked, making him jump. At his reaction, she softened her voice a little. "What is it, fun-size?"

The next words practically fell out of his mouth, unplanned and unapproved by the more reasonable part of his brain. "I know you're busy and probably wanna be alone and I get that, so you can say no any time and I'll understand completely, but I think..." He paused, but remembering her harsh tone earlier, quickly continued. "I think Ralph mentioned something he left in the medal-tower that he needed to get, so I thought, if you could..."

She seemed to catch on. "You want me to take you up there?"

He swallowed and nodded. "As long as it's not any trouble."

She smirked. "It is, but I like trouble. I'll take you, but you'll owe me a favor."

For some reason, that didn't sound so bad.

So as the sergeant stuck her head out the window and chatted with the Surge Protector, he inwardly cursed himself for the ginormous lie he just told! Ralph hadn't left anything in the tower, and if he had, he never mentioned it to Felix! He made up a story so he could stay with Calhoun longer. _Ooh, when __we get to the tower and she finds out I fibbed, I'm toast!_

But, to be honest, it was for a good cause. He needed to have a connection with her before she escaped again — he _needed_ to ask her something! But there didn't seem to be a place to fit a question in her argument with a fearful man aside the vehicle over clearance permits and whatnot. It would have to wait.

"Do you have any firearms on your person?" the Surge Protector asked.

Calhoun grimaced down at the man. "Is that your business?"

He gulped, obviously uncomfortable, but stood his ground. "Well, actually-"

"What are you talking about? Of _course _I do!" she cut him off. "What kinda question is that?"

"I have to check for weapons when someone enters Game Central Station. If someone's injured they-"

"Don't regenerate, I know. Which is why," she said quietly, leaning toward him with a dangerous look in her eye. "you should probably let me through before I get angry."

Eyes wide, he nodded. "You've got clearance."

"Good." Without another word, she accelerated the pod and turned until they faced the Hero's Duty tunnel.

Felix, still surprised at her relatively-calm handle on the situation, stuttered, "Y-yeah. I never really liked that guy, either. One time, I was going to Tapper's and he-"

"Shut up," she ordered him quickly, a fleeting twinkle in her eye. He would've caught that twinkle if it hadn't been for the darkness of the tunnel overshadowing them. "We're headed into my territory now. Follow my orders and you won't get killed."

He gulped. "That's... reassuring."

* * *

_**Alrighty! They're headed into Hero's Duty! Review and let me know what you think!**_

_*** *-TheSongbird341-* ***_

* * *

_****__DISCLAIMER__: Nope. Don't own Wreck-It Ralph._


	3. Chapter 3

**238 Minutes Lost**

* * *

• **Chapter III •**

* * *

_6:14 A.M. – 226 minutes until the Arcade opens._

* * *

Felix gazed out the window as the world of Hero's Duty rushed into view. High-definition flooded his mind at the sight of a dimly-lit, barren land, though the actual _land _was nearly invisible due to the massive amount of soldiers clouding the ground. Ships flew through the cloudy air, passing each other with nods from the pilots, but the action was mostly below as many men in matching uniforms converse with each other. _These must be the troops Calhoun leads in her game, _Felix mused. If so, he feared for their lives. They were clearly taking advantage of the sergeant's absence, chattering their helmeted-heads off mindlessly. He didn't even have to wait for her to notice the obvious laziness beneath them.

She took no time jamming her thumb on the button activating the window's lowering, shoving her head out the window. With a voice loud enough he worried she'd wake Ralph back in his game (Ralph was the one person who slept in Fix-It Felix, Jr.; wrecking was very taxing, after all) and scare the Nicelanders into locked doors, she shouted, "GET BACK TO CLEANING, LADIES! NO ONE SLEEPS UNTIL THE JOB'S FINISHED!" Upon hearing the tough blonde's orders from above, the men quickly returned to work.

The "things" she was referring to were the Cy-bugs, of course. This was usually the time the Cy-bug corpses were dragged off the field and to the Obliterator, miles away from the game's domain, after which the soldiers off-duty headed to the village for a night's rest. _These blabber-bottles had better clean up quick, _she remarked inwardly. She didn't exactly enjoy being awake or near the field during this time. But that was beside the point.

After she rolled her window up and Felix was sure the next shout wouldn't be directed at him, he felt it was safe to speak. "What are they cleaning?" He would have been able to see if it weren't for his short neck...

"Cy-bugs," she replied simply.

He raised his eyebrows. "I thought the beacon-"

"The beacon handles the _living _Cy-bugs," Calhoun cut him off, sparing a distant look out the window. "The dead ones, however, build up after a few quarters. We feed 'em to the Obliterator after hours."

He gulped at the name. "The Obliterator. W-what's that?"

"Hope that you'll never find out," she growled. He took that as a hint to ask no further questions.

Instead, he turned to the window again and stared at the tower, tall but visible in the distance. He had to ask her _now_, before they got to the tower. Then he could pretend to find something in the tower and go home! But for some reason, he couldn't get his lips to move. _Come on, Felix, _he told himself. _Be a man. A dynamite gal like her needs a __**man**__! _But what would he say? How did one go about asking Sergeant Calhoun on a _date?_

"Did Ralph happen to mention what he left in the tower?"

He looked up at her. _Uh-oh._

Laughing nervously, he bit his lip. "Actually, I – I don't remember exactly what... Is it really important?"

She looked at him with a surprised glint in her eye. "Up there, in the tower? That's where the Cy-bug eggs are kept." He didn't seem to follow, so she explained further. "When they hatch, they're ravenous; they'll eat whatever the see." Still nothing. Rolling her eyes, she continued. "They become whatever they eat. So, if it's a dangerous object, the mutant bug would increase in violence and strength." He blinked up at her. "And that would be bad."

His eyes widened and he bobbed his head. "Oh! Right, that would be awful! Really bad!" Swallowing, he fumbled with his hat. "But I don't know what he left. I'm sure it's-"

"Then how will I know what I'm looking for?" she questioned him, leaning back in her chair.

His mind took a second to process this question. "You mean, _you're _going to look for it?"

Her eyebrows rose. "What are you talking about? Of course I am."

"But you can't!" he sputtered indignantly. "You won't know-"

"This is not up for debate, little-bit!" she cut him off sharply, not allowing him a moment to consider the sentiment behind all the nicknames. As they slowed to a stop next to the tower, she turned to face him dead-on. Staring right into his eyes, she explained. "That tower is dangerous and I will _not _let you-" _Too personal; rewind. _She tried again."I'm not gonna have your life on my hands if something goes wrong. This is _my _game; I'll regenerate. You won't."

Felix sighed, defeated. She was right – and only looking out for his safety. "Alright."

She nodded at him and stood, grabbing her gun. "I'll look for an abnormally-large item and be out in two minutes," she informed him as she exited the pod. Without a glance backward, she reminded him to stay put and, after entering the pass-code (_2580,_ as she'd simply slid her finger down the center keys; not that he'd watched), walked through the door and left the door cracked open.

Maybe she'd find something; maybe someone else left something and he could pass it off as Ralph's. But if not, he was _really _in trouble...

* * *

Calhoun quietly walked down the dimly-lit pathway that lead to the center of the tower, the tapping of her boots piercing the otherwise-silent room. Peering around the room, she moved toward the holographic reward stage, where one would receive their medal at the end of the game. She was familiar with this room; when a player got a high-score she would stand proudly on the side while they were rewarded. Many memories were associated with this room, mostly good... aside from the disastrous accounts of the eggs hatching prematurely (Ralph had caused one of those occurrences), which always made for a large mess. Those recollections were part of the reason she hadn't allowed Felix inside – God knows he was a clumsy one, and she didn't need _another _disaster to clean up.

As she scanned the room around her, she was beginning to question exactly _what_ validity there was to what she now searched for. _Felix couldn't bother to describe what _exactly _I'm looking for? _she grumbled inwardly. She'd just have to guess.

After a thorough sweep of the room – and she was _always_ thorough – she came up with nothing. Among the rows of Cy-bug eggs littering the ground, no foreign item was found. There was a large possibility that it had been consumed by a Cy-bug, meaning that somewhere out there a mutant bug roamed free, a threat to any unarmed bystander and immortal to any weapon save for the Obliterator itself. She'd have to warn the troops.

She ran behind the holographic platform and found the control center, a well-received sight; for among the various buttons that activated the warning signal, the beacon, and more vital utilities, was the intercom that reached from the innermost of the battlefield to the outskirts of the village. She turned it on and began issuing her warning.

"Attention soldiers: there's a mutant Cy-bug on the loose somewhere in Hero's Duty, possibly a hybrid-cross with a large domestic item. I repeat; there's a mutant Cy-bug on the loose with conceivably-lethal intentions. I want Troops 2 and 5 surrounding the village with _multiple _firearms. All others –"

Then she heard a crack, and the horrifying sound of a little foot squishing. _I hope that wasn't what I know it was._

And as she turned around to the door she'd entered from, her fears were confirmed: Felix – Litwak-knew-why he was there in the first place – stood on the side of the pathway, half of him illuminated by the outside-light, half of him in the dark, staring down at his foot that cracked the shell of a Cy-bug egg. His blue eyes wide and mouth open, her breath caught in her throat; she couldn't breathe as her mind rushed to process what had just happened. But before she could, the egg began glowing, along with all the others surrounding it. They had little-to-no time.

Knowing that, she got Felix's attention, his eyes shifting to hers, and she whispered, "Don't... _move_."

He blinked at her in blind fear, not moving a muscle. Unknowingly, she'd just announced over the intercom that the remaining troops shouldn't move. But at the moment, with his stricken stance and endangered state, she couldn't care.

"Ma'am?" he asked shakily.

"Felix, these eggs will hatch any second now," she told him as she drew her gun. "Get out."

The first egg hatched, releasing a large bug. Felix winced, but didn't follow her order. "But-"

"That wasn't a question, Fix-It!" she snapped, not shooting until he exited. More eggs hatched. "You won't regenerate! _Go!_" Sensing the seriousness in her voice, he turned to leave, stepping on another egg.

"Felix!" she scolded him, shooting a Cy-bug that got too close.

"I-I can fix-" he stuttered, tripping over another egg and dropping his golden hammer, which landed on a Cy-bug and, in turn, enlarged it to twice its size. "Oh! I'm-"

"_Get out!" _she shouted with no trace of request in her voice, shooting down two more bugs. She trained her gun on the doubly-large bug and shot at it thrice, but it didn't seem to take any damage. _What did he do to it? _Surely it wasn't invincible!

Felix stumbled toward the door, allowing her to resume clearing out the bugs. She continued shooting down the Cy-bugs as she backed toward the control board, aiming to activate the beacon and dispose of the rest of the beasts. Down went four more as she felt her feet leave the platform and hit the ground inches below. But one foot landed too abruptly, causing her to trip over herself and fall on her back. "For cryin' out loud," she muttered, sitting up. But as she rose to her feet, the giant bug flew straight into her and knocked her back down, rapidly-fluttering wings slicing into her armor. Leaning on her elbows, she shot at it furiously, but received no reaction. It just buzzed past and circled around her, consequentially ramming into the control center. Before her eyes, the board was smashed and fell to ruins, making the beacon a negativity. That would _not _be easy to repair.

"Sergeant!"

Hearing her usual title, she whipped around to find Felix was _still _there! "Felix, how many times do I have to tell you-"

But she was cut off as the bug slammed into her again, breaking through the same side of her armor entirely and cutting into the skin of her upper-arm. She cringed but shot at the beast again as she struggled to her feet.

"The control board's broken, so I'm taking 'em out manually," she informed Felix across the room. "Leave, or you'll be my next target!" Of course, she didn't mean that, but he needed to get out!

"I can _fix it_!"

She ran at him and jerked him upward and onto her shoulders, running out of the building. Her soldiers were trained to kill these bugs; they'd manage. If Felix wouldn't leave because she told him to, he'd leave because she made him.

Slamming the door behind her, she shook him to the ground and practically dragged him into the escape pod, entering after him and closing the pod. But the door hadn't shut completely behind her – the large Cy-bug burst out of it, ramming into the vehicle.

Felix let out a cry of shock as the bug repeated its action, damaging Calhoun's side of the pod to no limit. She jerked the pod to life and floored it forward, away from the tower, the bug, and most of Hero's Duty. She'd get Felix out of this in one piece, if it was up to her. For some reason, she took his life on as a variation of Brad's (don't ask her why), and she would, under _no _circumstances, relive that guilt as long as she lived.

* * *

_**Difficult to write this – took me a week just to get it right! I hope this action was well-written :)**_

_**Felix was trying to be a hero toward the end, there. Bad Felix. Calhoun doesn't like heroes. And she's not about to let him be all stupid and get killed. **_

… _**What's the Obliterator?**_

_**This chapter was very important to the plot; there might be some questions on why the sergeant did what she did, but these will be answered in the next chapter! Sorry for the late update, but please review and let me know what you think!**_

_*** *-TheSongbird341-* ***_

* * *

_DISCLAIMER: Can't say that I own Wreck-It Ralph... I would have made the movie about Felix/Calhoun. Sorry._


	4. Chapter 4

**238 Minutes Lost**

* * *

• **Chapter IV •**

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_6:39 A.M. – 201 minutes until the Arcade opens._

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Felix had initially been too shocked to speak as Calhoun had shoved him into the pod; he hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise as she slammed the acceleration; and when one of the many Cy-bugs she'd left living had chased them and rammed into the side of the vehicle, he'd only managed a scream or two. He'd been content in that silence, knowing that the sergeant was likely outraged by his display in the tower and anything he could say would only dig him into a deeper hole. Silence was more than welcome at this moment, as it only gave him more time to consider his future actions and, more importantly, wonder where the heck he'd gone wrong! _I was only trying to get a moment to ask her out, _he reminded himself. His intentions had been pure; his _execution_, however, hadn't been so well-planned. The scene in the tower, however, was completely confusing to him. He'd only been trying to be the man Calhoun deserved – he wanted to prove that he could be what she wanted! Instead, he'd caused a huge disaster in the tower, and gotten her hurt in the process (she acted as if she wasn't, but he knew when he saw something in need of fixing). He was a _Fix-It_, darn it! Why wasn't he fixing anything?

"Fix-It!"

He was snapped out of his lamentations by a sharp voice belonging to the Dynamite Gal that clouded his thoughts. Looking up, he found she wasn't even looking at him, eyes darting from the front window to her side, trying to see how close behind the giant bug was. He coughed into his hand to indicate he was listening, and she continued.

"You ever parachuted before?"

At first, he hadn't taken her question seriously. He considered letting out a laugh, but, being unsure that she'd intended to be humorous, he held back any immediate reaction. And it was better he did, for moments later he realized she was serious and any chuckle he'd been about to offer would have turned nervous. She _honestly _thought that Fix-It Felix, Jr., of all people, had any experience in sky-diving? _That _would have been something to laugh about. That is, if he weren't Fix-It Felix, Jr.

"N-not exactly, Ma'am..." he stuttered, unsure of how exactly one answered such a question. "I mean, I've watched Ralph fall from the building, and it didn't look like it hurt too badly..."

"This is not the time for jokes, Felix!" she snapped, jerking the vehicle to the right and making his stomach lurch. Had he been joking? He certainly hadn't meant to. "If you can't parachute, then I'm gonna have to land this thing, and I can't do that."

"Why not?" he asked quietly, only half-expecting an answer.

"If I land right now we'll be in the village," she informed him, pointing downward. He tried to peek over the edge of the window, but his height failed him and he shrunk back into his seat. "And we'll lead this giant bug right into the streets."

He swallowed. "So we can't land, and I can't parachute..."

"So we're screwed," she huffed, just dodging an oncoming Cy-bug. She reached for where the shooting-controls usually were, but was rudely awakened to the fact that she was in an escape-pod, and not an aircraft created for combat. Rolling her eyes, she resolved to fly upward, steering clear of any and all threatening creatures. Up they went, headed into the misty cloak of Hero's Duty, swerving left and right.

Then an idea hit her. "Unless..."

She could feel his eyes on her, knowing he was about to interrupt (because that was just his personality, as far as she'd had experience with), and in due course, he did. "Ma'am..."

She silenced him with a gloved hand, but quickly stuck it on the controls and barely ducked a bug flying overhead. "Maybe my gun can't kill that thing," she began to herself. "But I could feed it to the-"

"Sergeant, miss!"

"Felix!" she scolded him, turning to glare at him. "Can't you see I'm-"

Her words were cut off as a bug slammed into her side of the pod, bursting through it completely and tearing into the controls in front of her, subsequently rippling through half of her armor and tearing her skin. Not even taking time to wince, she reared back and pulled her gun, trying to shoot and maintain control of the vehicle intermittently. Felix screamed something unintelligible, but she paid no heed and, seeing as her gun was evidently useless against the mutant, resolved to lead the beast to the Obliterator herself and save her troops the hassle of attempting to destroy it without her. It'd take no effort at all to direct him to his certain demise - her only issue would be avoiding further damage to the vessel. Other than that, her plan was flawless.

However, try as she may to steer clear of the murderous claws thrashing about the pod, no motion followed; the pod continued forward. Had it taken so much damage as to tamper with the controls? She'd expected better of the game designers than to make such a vital addition to the game so flimsy. Fortunately, she knew just the handyman to deal with such a problem.

"Fix-It!" she barked, shooting at the bug in an attempt to deter it. "Toss me that hammer if you wanna live!"

Felix, rather than responding immediately as per her instructions, hesitated and shouted over the rumble of hundreds of Cy-bugs breaking out of the tower, "I don't think that's a good idea..."

"Felix, are you actively trying to die?!" Calhoun snapped, not even half-joking. She didn't know if he was just dumbstruck by the situation at hand or simply playing thick-head in acknowledgement that his life was basically a name on an abandoned arcade machine, but if it took her standing up and knocking his head around a few times to bring him to his long-departed senses, she was up for the challenge. "Give me your hammer or we'll be kissing the ground in record time!"

"But-"

"FELIX!"

As her words hit a volume he hadn't thought possible for a woman sporting such a deep voice, he knew the battle was lost and underhanded the golden tool to her. Obviously irritated beyond normality, she caught the hammer swiftly in one hand and reared it back, releasing it on the controls. _One tap of this Litwak____-forsaken hammer and we're in the clear, so long as Felix doesn't do anything stupid..._

___Did I just jinx myself?_

As she'd feared, something did go wrong, and that something was Felix's hammer, which, for lack of a better phrase, wasn't doing so hot. Instead of its usual immediate reaction of fixing whatever it touched – good as new, as he put it - it didn't appear to be doing much of anything. In fact, it seemed to be worsening the damage rather than relieving it! Was she doing something wrong? Was there a magic word or some other additional detail she'd failed to carry out? Felix made it seem so easy; tap and smile, occasionally saying something dumb, and he had you thinking he was some kind of wizard. Ridiculously easy when you watched, but evidently not so easy when you practiced it yourself.

Well, he'd better give me a quick crash course, 'cause this bug isn't giving, and, based on our altitude, we're not exactly flying high.

"It's not working!" she snapped backward, trying to pull the controls upward but not exactly succeeding. The only control working was the steering, which, in turn (no pun intended), caused them to twist in circles as they spiraled downward. Frustrated, she asked, "What am I doing wrong?"

He exhaled roughly. "I was trying to tell you," he began. "that it wouldn't work. The hammer only works when a Fix-It uses it. Otherwise it just breaks things."

Eyes widening, she dropped the hammer and returned to the piloting system. "Thanks for sharing, Felix! Maybe next time you could remember to mention the fatally important things before we're speeding toward the ground with a demolished control board?"

"I can fix it!"

But as he stood and rushed over to her seat, he found himself stumbling toward the window as gravity pulled them both forward, indicating that they were nearing the ground. Knowing that, even if Fix-It managed to clear the mess before they hit land, she'd have no time or room to return upward, she grabbed Felix's shoulders and pulled him to her chest, preparing for the crash-landing. It wouldn't have been ten seconds later before they touched ground; unbeknownst to them, in the middle of nowhere.

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___**Sorry for the rushed ending, but I just couldn't wait to post this! I've been on my Holiday Hiatus for a couple months now, and this marks the end of it, so... YAY! Here she is :D**_

___**And... they crashed :O The whole "hammer-only-fixes-for-Fix-Its" deal was something I thought of overnight; if anyone else has done this, I'm not copying anyone. They may not know it, but they're in for one wild ride.**_

___**Happy New Year's Eve! How were your holidays? Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc... Did you get what you wanted for Christmas? I did :) In fact, this chapter was written on my Christmas present, so excuse any punctuation mistakes. I'm still learning how to use it :/**_

___**Anywho, thanks for reading! Don't forget to review, follow, favorite, blah, bleh. I'll be updating again, now that my break is over, so don't be mad at me for the wait D:**_

___*** *-TheSongbird341-* ***_

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___DISCLAIMER____: If I owned Wreck-It Ralph, I would have spent much more time on the Hero's Cuties :)_


	5. Chapter 5

**238 Minutes Lost**

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• **Chapter V •**

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_6:51 A.M. – 189 minutes until the Arcade opens._

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At first, Calhoun had wondered if she'd gone deaf.

She imagined, if she had, that Felix's hammer could fix it – although it wasn't exactly fulfilling its reputation as of late – but after a moment's testing, she could, in fact, hear her own motion. She'd initially been fooled into thinking she was incapable of hearing, probably because she didn't hear what she was _expecting_: Felix wailing like a child, the Cy-bug's wings slicing through the heavily-armored walls of the pod, and mostly, her own ranting. But Felix was silent, as was she, and as far as she could assume, they were no longer under attack. It was strange, as the mutants didn't often leave their kill... without actually _killing _it.

_Unless they've found more..._

She immediately shot up in her seat, hoping to Litwak that she hadn't landed in the village. Believe it or not, the soldiers of Hero's Duty indeed had kids and wives, and would not likely forgive her if their lives were compromised. They very well could have been if she'd led a bug into their midst – since they were not in the range of the regeneration field, or the "respawn areas", as they were commonly known, the women and children would not survive a Cy-bug attack. Hence, they were given a stronger reason to fight the bugs back during the day, whenever the flow became insistently heavy. Once those bugs got past the barriers and into the village, death wouldn't be the worst the Hero's Duty civilians would encounter.

But that was an issue for another time, as when she jerked upright – ignoring the sharp pain in her arm from where the bug had slashed her, along with other crash-induced injuries – she found, to her slight peace of mind, that they were not within the game restrictions, but beyond the game's code altogether. Although unsure of this should have made her feel better, she took it in stride and refocused on the next issue of many: Fix-It Felix, Jr., the little man who shouldn't have been here in the first place.

"Felix?" she asked firmly, eyeing the shorter being. He didn't respond to her; he was completely frozen in place, mouth open, eyes wide. He didn't even blink, and she was beginning to doubt even his _breathing_. "Fix-It?" she repeated, more loudly this time. He wasn't dead. She knew what dead looked like.

Slightly annoyed at his simple presence in the current situation, as he'd had a good hand in bringing this catastrophe about, she reached out an aching arm and shoved his shoulder. "Fix-It, stop playing around!"

Suddenly, he snapped to life, inhaling a huge gust of air and letting it out in a steady stream of speech. "_Oooohhh, _my geese, there's a bug! There's a big bug! It's going to hit- we're falling, we're falling, we're-"

She gave him another shove, shouting, "Pull yourself together, Felix!"

"_We're gonna __**die**__!_"

"Felix!" she snapped, slapping a hand over his mouth. Finally able to shut him up, she explained briefly and sharply, "We've already landed. We didn't die!"

"We didn't..." he started, voice fading out as he registered her words – moreover, noting that she'd even said anything at all, as dead people didn't speak, meaning she certainly wasn't dead. And since he, too, was speaking...

"I'm not dead," he stated numbly, as if he didn't necessarily believe himself. "I'm... we're not dead."

Calhoun raised an eyebrow. "Really, Felix, I thought you were a little faster on the uptake than this."  
Felix seemed offended, and crossed his arms. "Ma'am, I don't know if you're aware, but in this game, if I go pushing up daisies, I certainly won't come back. I'd be spelling _doom_ for my game!" He paused, as if for effect, and clarified, "D-O-O-M!"

"I can spell, Felix," she shot back, not even sparing him a glance while she examined the damage around her – she'd safely drawn the conclusion that there was no way she could get this pod back off the ground. "And I don't know if _you're _aware," she began, spinning around to face him, "but we're outside of the regeneration field; so it looks like neither of us are gonna respawn any time soon."

With her sharp response, he bit his tongue. Because of that, Calhoun was happily able to change the subject. She began muttering to herself, mostly trying to sort everything out in her head before she tried to speak to the three-foot basketcase on her right. "The men at the base had better be evacuating that town if I've taught them anything."

She then turned to the crackling, sparking dashboard of the escape-pod – it looked well-enough intact to make an attempt with the communicator, so she reached out and flipped it on. "Calhoun to main patrol; do you copy?" she asked, moreso commanding rather than questioning. She was received with silence.

"Great," she sighed, switching it off, even though it didn't matter whether the broken system was on or off. She looked up at Felix, meeting his eyes again. "I can't believe I'm asking this, but can you fix it, Felix?"

He brightened up a bit and looked around for his hammer. "Never fear; Felix is here. We'll be up and at 'em in a jiffy, if I'm not..." He froze. _Uh-oh._

"Is there a problem?" she asked, watching him carefully as he felt around for what must've been his hammer. It then occurred to her that he didn't know where his hammer _was_. "Oh, don't tell me-"

He stuttered, eyes widening and retracting. "I can't- it's not..."

"You _lost _it?" she exclaimed, flying up in her seat and hitting her head on the low ceiling of the pod. She flinched backward and grabbed her head, wincing. "You know," she started, jabbing a finger at him, "for a guy with a name like yours, you're not fixing much!"

Felix continued to frantically look around as he argued with her. "That's right! Just because my name's 'Fix-It' means I can solve all the world's problems!"

"That's kinda what the name implies," she pointed out, rubbing her head.

He didn't hear her, but pulled his hat off and twisted it in his hands nervously. "It must have fallen on our way down. Who _knows _where it could be?"

She rolled her eyes. "We don't have time for this. We'd better get outta this death-contraption and start footing it if we want to make it back by opening."

Felix's eyes widened, if that was possible. "_Opening? _How long do we have?"

Calhoun swallowed. "My guess?" she proposed, jerking her security strap off her sore limbs – hadn't it done a swell job? She exhaled and stretched her arms as she spoke. "Probably some three hours."

"Then I guess we'd better get started," Felix stated, and freed himself of his own restraint.

Calhoun had little trouble escaping the vehicle, and when she'd walked around to his side, she found that Felix hadn't had so much luck. _Felix._

She turned the corner to find the smaller being was caught in the doorway, his foot stuck between the chair and the doorframe, anxiously trying to escape. She kept her smile at bay when he struggled with the chair, which only tightened its hold on his ankle. After watching a moment, she stepped forward and bent over to assist him.

He stopped fighting when her hands appeared in front of his face, landing on his foot. She was silent as she gripped his shin and wriggled it out of the tight spot, extracting a small yelp from him. Her hands flew backward at his startling noise; she glanced up at him quickly, to check on him. Her eyes large and round, she studied his expression, wondering if she'd hurt him. The response was subconscious; she hadn't realized how it had looked to Felix.

He was taken aback at the strangely... _caring_ reaction, and swallowed back any further sounds. "Sorry."

She blinked at him for a second, surprised at her own response, and nodded. "Yeah," she mumbled, turning her attention to his leg. She continued pulling his ankle free – more gently, this time, so as not to encounter something like that again. She hadn't done something like that since...

"Th-thanks."

She looked up again, confused at his premature appreciation. It was then that she'd realized: she'd already freed his foot, without noticing it. _I guess that's what thinking gets me. Well done, Tamora. You've officially made yourself look like a weirdo without even speaking._

Embarrassed and feeling her face heat up, she muttered some sort of response – he didn't even attempt to make out what it was. She ignored his inquisitive eyes and straightened up, dusting herself off. After gathering herself enough to speak, she ordered, "Come on. Let's have a look around."

Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed his hand, helping him down from the lift. Instantly, she jerked her hand back, as if she'd burned herself. This put Felix's short-lived honeyglows to rest, although he still feigned a smile. Meanwhile, she just mentally attacked herself. What was she _doing? _She was giving him the impression that she actually _liked _his company. Which was bad, of course, because she didn't...

… right?

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_**I'm baaack...**_

_**I GOT WRECK-IT RALPH FOR MY BIRTHDAY! So, as promised, I watched it twenty gazillion times and BOOM! Next chapter!**_

_**These two are just great. Now, Felix is hammerless, Calhoun is no longer respawning (I made up that bit, but I hope it worked anyway), they're in the middle of nowhere with three hours to get back, and a Cy-bug still out there. What do you think should happen next? What do you think will happen next?  
**_

_**Thanks for reading! Please make sure to leave a review! More reviews means sooner updates. Oh, and since we're getting close to 50 reviews, I'll add that **the 50th reviewer gets the next chapter dedicated to them, with a special mention at the top. If that turns out to be you, keep an eye out in the next chapter ;)_

**_Alrighty. That's all for now!_**

**_* *-TheSongbird341-* *_**

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_DISCLAIMER__: I don't own Wreck-It Ralph rights, but I own the movie on Blu-Ray! HAPPY LATE BIRTHDAY TO ME :D_


	6. NOTICE

**NOTICE**

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This story has been cancelled. Please visit my profile page for more details.

_*** *-TheSongbird341-* ***_

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_"I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth."  
- Psalm 34:1_


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